Pain IS a Doorway

      A number of times I've chosen to experiment with pain, from moderate to extreme, to see where it could take me. At times the only other option is rather bleak - suffering like a helpless, wounded animal. So instead of tensing up to bear it (the freeze part of the fight/flight/freeze reaction), I immediately opted to try a practical experiment that surely countless others also tried throughout the ages: consciously opening up, surrendering to & deeply exploring pain (or other harrowing existential crises)!

     “When we are no longer able to change a situation, we are challenged to change ourselves.” Viktor E. Frankl, "Man’s Search for Meaning"

     “The best way out is always through” Robert Frost

    And social workers' advice to "lean into" difficulties.

     This choice to bravely explore the mystery of hardships we're usually desperate to avoid happens to be remarkably effective in shifting us out of our default self-centered, materialistic / survivalist mindset, & into an infinitely wiser, altruistic, transpersonal, spacious, timeless, joyous one. Because of this profoundly important shift, intentional surrender to hardships (self-imposed and uncontrolled) has become a formal practice in all wisdom traditions.

     Psychologically-healthy, mature participants in spiritual practices such as meditation, are typically advised to 'surrender:'
     "... surrender is probably the most important piece of advice ... it is when you’re resisting what’s happening that you get anxious & frightened, because what might be happening is your ego may be just melting. Your sense of self may be dying. And if you fight that & try to hold on for dear life to your sense of self, that fight is going to create a lot of anxiety.
     And this is that experience of ego dissolution — the idea that you lose your sense of yourself as an individuated person and become merged with something larger. People do have the sense of merging into the universe, or with divinity, or with other people — and that’s an ecstatic experience. It’s so rare. We’re so isolated in these skins of ours. And to let that go & become part of something larger is — I mean, that’s the essence of the mystical experience that William James talks about. ... it just felt so right and so beautiful." Michael Pollan: https://onbeing.org/programs/michael-pollan-and-katherine-may-the-future-of-hope-4/

     But our usual mindset CANNOT conceive of anything beyond self-preservation, which of course includes remaining comfortable & maintaining the status quo, even when the status quo is miserable & unsustainable! Those with unresolved, untreated major trauma are not usually ready to dissolve their ego - although awakening experiences, as mentioned previously (http://www.johnlovas.com/2021/03/fascinating-overlap.html) can also be induced by entheogens under well-controlled medical supervision - the fastest, most radical pathway to awakening. When in doubt, it's best to consult a mental health professional who is also knowledgeable about advanced meditation practices.

     “Everything has its beauty, but not everyone sees it.” Confucius

“It’s better to feel pain,
than never feel at all.
The opposite of love’s
indifference.”
Lumineers

     “... accept that pain & grief are emotions that are as important as joy & love." Sabine Mehne: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E-IBPltVcL0 

     By now, most people will have shut down, yelled 'crazy' & run away! Their ego is cradled in the illusion of control - even if their idea of control is resolute hopelessness!
     To grow up, we MUST release, drop, let go of ALL our stories of who / what we imagine ourselves to be - they're WRONG & WAY, WAY TOO SMALL, LIMITED. Skillful meditation practice allows us to get beyond (transcend) our 'small self' - when we're ready.

     Be brave enough to GO DEEP into physical / emotional / spiritual pain, no matter how severe it may be, and savor it like you would a glass of mind-blowingly complex wine, really open your entire self up to it completely, with no judgment of any kind, drop all that you ever thought you were, NOW BE EVERYTHING - THE OCEAN WELCOMING BACK this TINY RAIN DROP of PAIN with UNCONDITIONAL LOVE.
     WHEN once again, ALL YOU FEEL is EVERYTHING - WHOLENESS, PEACE, SILENCE, STILLNESS, TIMELESSNESS, NEVER FORGET THAT THERE NEVER really WAS, NEVER IS, and NEVER WILL BE ANYTHING other than THIS EVERYTHING.
     Though in ordinary life, you may often feel like nothing special, YOU ARE EVERYTHING whenever you remember to LOVE & NURTURE UNCONDITIONALLY.

“Love says 'I am everything.'
Wisdom says 'I am nothing.'
Between the two, my life flows.”
Nisargadatta Maharaj

Let Go ... by Mollycules www.BuddhaDoodles.com

 

Personal Guidelines

Come from Gratitude
To be alive in this beautiful, self-organizing universe -- to participate in the dance of life with senses to perceive it, lungs that breathe it, organs that draw nourishment from it -- is a wonder beyond words. Gratitude for the gift of life is the primary wellspring of all religions, the hallmark of the mystic, the source of all true art. Furthermore, it is a privilege to be alive in this time when we can choose to take part in the self-healing of our world.

Don't be Afraid of the Dark
This is a dark time, filled with suffering and uncertainty. Like living cells in a larger body, it is natural that we feel the trauma of our world. So don't be afraid of the anguish you feel, or the anger or fear, for these responses arise from the depth of your caring and the truth of your interconnectedness with all beings. To suffer with is the literal meaning of compassion.

Dare to Vision
Out of this darkness a new world can arise, not to be constructed by our minds so much as to emerge from our dreams. Even though we cannot see clearly how it's going to turn out, we are still called to let the future into our imagination. We will never be able to build what we have not first cherished in our hearts..

Roll up your Sleeves
Many people don't get involved in the Great Turning because there are so many different issues, which seem to compete with each other. Shall I save the whales or help battered children? The truth is that all aspects of the current crisis reflect the same mistake, setting ourselves apart and using others for our gain. So to heal one aspect helps the others to heal as well. Just find what you love to work on and take joy in that. Never try to do it alone. Link up with others; you'll spark each others' ideas and sustain each others' energy..

Act your Age
Since every particle in your body goes back to the first flaring forth of space and time, you're really as old as the universe. So when you are lobbying at your congressperson's office, or visiting your local utility, or testifying at a hearing on nuclear waste, or standing up to protect an old grove of redwoods, you are doing that not out of some personal whim, but in the full authority of your 15 billions years.

Joanna Macy 

http://www.joannamacy.net/personal-guidelines.html

 

When the Shoe No Longer Fits

     What happens when the religious / spiritual group with which you closely identify keeps punching you in the nose with its simplistic immaturity?

    The original founders of most major religions - Taoism, Buddhism, Judaism, Christianity, Islam - were profound mystics who deeply inspired small numbers of followers, AND usually met with violent opposition from orthodox religions, and other established political organizations.
    Subsequently, and even today, Judaism, Christianity & Islam continue the violence, even internally - one faction against the other, "orthodox" against "reformers," and the majority against their own, few mystics, who (like their founder) are serious reformers ie 'real shit-disturbers.'
    Not surprisingly, religious orthodoxies are only comfortable with the first 3 of Fowler's 6 stages of faith, deeply troubled by 4&5 (equating these stages with psychology, and thus 'anti-religious'), and are dead-set against 6 (calling it 'madness' - which ironically sounds like pop-psychology). http://www.johnlovas.com/2013/11/fowlers-six-stages-of-faith.html .
    For the past 18 years, important international research is been carried out on well over a thousand "Finders" - people who have stabilized at stages that start at Fowler's level 6. Instead of 'madness,' Finders report experiencing deep, foundational inner peace & joy that far surpasses common experience. Dr. Jeffery A. Martin. “The Finders.” Integration Press, 2019.

      How strongly one identifies with their particular take on religion / spirituality becomes clear when being questioned in a thoroughly intelligent, reasonable, & well-meaning manner.
     If the best they can do is an emotionally anguished, irrational counterattack, then they're actually defending their EGO (personal ± group). This may be a "shipwreck" moment - a "crisis in faith," when they might realize that the short catchy slogans of their sect are no longer enough.

     Their current worldview / self-concept may now need to be upgraded to a more mature model - one that better matches reality. They may need to go DEEPER in their own religion - membership alone is like being a fan of a sports team instead of engaging as a serious athlete. OR, maybe it's time to find a group that is capable of understanding & nurturing their current & higher levels of psychosocialspiritual development.
     Going deeper & moving on is a normal, recurrent event for normally maturing, healthy human beings, though sadly many of us neglect or even actively resist this process. One reason for remaining stuck is the fear of being shunned by your current group.  
     But perhaps the key aspect of maturation is having the courage to leave behind dogmas (that once seemed to provide certainty, but now feel claustrophobic), and move towards love, freedom & spaciousness.

     "The small man builds cages for everyone he knows. While the sage keeps dropping keys all night long for the beautiful, rowdy prisoners."                   Hafiz

Seaport Market, Halifax, NS

 

Awareness is Not for Wimps

     “Wasn’t it true that there was a place in all of us where we kept our secret under lock and key, vain animals capable of strange, petty, sometimes violent unpredictabilities? ... We all had our secrets, and maybe the most terrible of them was that we weren’t exactly who we thought we were, who we said we were, who we dreamed of being, that we were divided and at war and half made of self-mythologies, too. Sometimes on that staircase spiraling up from the darkness, we met ourselves coming up into the light, not recognizing ourselves or what we might do next.”

       Michael Paterniti “The Telling Room. A Tale of Love, Betrayal, Revenge, and the World’s Greatest Piece of Cheese.” The Dial Press, NY, 2013

 

Public Gardens, Halifax, NS

The Next Step from the Top of a 200 Foot-High Pole

     "Lost within the dependency on any structure is the sacred formless, infinitely available once form has been released.

     There is no bridge between form and the formless, and all form can ever do is establish a readiness to surrender to the formless.

     Is our present spiritual form ever going to let go of us? Will it ever say, 'Job well done, you are finished and ready for the formless,' or is that readiness going to have to come from us - with the understanding that the 'feeling of readiness' may not be part of what it means to be ready?"

       Rodney Smith. Awakening. A Paradigm Shift of the Heart. Shambhala, Boston, 2014.

 

Tangled Garden   www.tangledgardenherbs.ca

Artistic Freedom - Authentic Leadership

     "Knausgaard believes that to create literature of lasting value, a writer must try to carve out a freedom from the strictures of society, to stand outside the realm where consideration comes before honesty. It’s an important principle, he thinks—but it carries no weight on a human level."

       Evan Hughes on Norwegian writer Karl Ove Knausgaard: http://www.newrepublic.com/article/117245/karl-ove-knausgaard-interview-literary-star-struggles-regret

     The choice to exercise this freedom means giving up compulsive living - constantly running from (aversion) or running after (craving) ghosts, phantasms & vapors. This choice frees up time & energy to cultivate something of value. See: http://www.johnlovas.com/2014/08/shining-character.html

Richard Kelley, National Geographic   http://photography.nationalgeographic.com

Keeping Doors Open, without Serving Tea, to Energies Passing Through

     “Courage is the mastery of fear, not the absence of fear.”                   Mark Twain

     Can searing fear & terror be welcomed, & allowed to pass through, an open heart? Can I become that seamlessly porous? Can I surf the funky waves of dukkha itself? Yes, yes, yes!!

     See: http://mindfulnessforeveryone.blogspot.ca/2012/03/65-embracing-full-catastrophe.html

 

Dealing with Fear Skillfully

Jian Ghomeshi, in wrapping up the interview, asks 60 year-old actor Mandy Patinkin: "Where do you feel like you are on your journey?"

Mandy Patinkin: "I thrillingly haven't a clue. I haven't a clue what's going to happen a second from now, a day, a week, a month, a year. And I guess, that, I finally learned, is one of life's great gifts - that I haven't a clue what's going to happen next, and I can't wait to find out."

Jian Ghomeshi: "And you're not scared of that?"

Mandy Patinkin: "I'm not scared at all. I've been scared. Fear ran my life. And the greatest lesson I've learned in these 5 or 6 years, is to stop thinking that I could run away from fear of any nature. And I've been learning and practicing to invite any and every kind of fear to sit right on my shoulder, give it a front seat in the studio, in the concert, at home, in bed, with family, friends, children ... - put all my fears in the front row seat, let it make me shake and sweat and be terrorized. I will eventually get bored with it and proceed. 
And when have you seen a person of any age, whether 5, 50, 60 or a hundred, who's been frightened that you hate? You know if they're sweating and shaking, your heart will go out a little bit. And if they hate me and get bored and want to walk away - let them walk away.
I can't run away from it. And so I'm learning and practicing to let it be there. And it will be part of my process, work, journey for the rest of my life. But it consumed me so up until this point and I'm no longer trying to escape it. I welcome it into my life every second. I encourage it."

Above from the last couple of minutes of Jian Ghomeshi's CBC interview: http://www.cbc.ca/q/blog/2013/03/06/mandy-patinkin-will-inspire-you/

See also: http://healthyhealers.blogspot.ca/2013/04/fear-avoidance-ineffective-existential.html

Base Jumpers by Dimitrios Kontizas

NO, it's NOT "all about sex" NOR "money" NOR "power" NOR "politics" etc

     Most of us have HORRIBLE communications skills! Most of us are SCARED SHITLESS about connecting meaningfully with another human being! One has to be BRAVE to be honest. One has to be MATURE to communicate in an honest, mature manner. Most of us are IMMATURE!
     We all do try our best to CONNECT with each other, with our "BEST shot" - we might (mistakenly) guess that we're being romantic, sexy, wealthy, powerful, intellectual, politically savvy, jocks, in with the in crowd, masters of trivia (VERY popular), etc, etc, etc ...
     But you know what? We're just anxious & trying our awkward best to connect meaningfully - one equal to another equal - nothing more, nothing less!
     It's the old "tower of Babel" shtick isn't it? EVERYONE speaking a different damned language - at the level of the EGO - we are each unique individuals.
     YET, each one of us is already connected PROFOUNDLY at the deepest level - THAT needs to be understood.

Arundhati   www.dpreview.com